The Kell of the Wild
by MWolfL
Summary: Aisling did not die from helping Brendan defeat Crom, she only lost most of her powers. Brendan still feels guilty however, and will do anything to bring Aisling's powers back...even if it means giving up his human life. BrendanXAisling
1. Brendan's Conflicts

A.N. I remember reading a fanfic that was an alternate ending to the movie. In it Cellach made Brendan promise to stay at Kells and be the next Abbot. I think that actually did happen in the movie, even though we didn't see it, so I used that idea in my story too. However, to make it different, I altered the timing of the promise.

It had been a week since Abbot Cellach had died, and a little more than a month since Brendan's return to Kells. Due to the promise he made to his uncle before he died Brendan stayed in the Abbey of Kells, but couldn't quite get the hang of being a leader. Brother Tang and a few other Brothers assumed that it was just because Brendan was still mourning his uncle, so they worked together leading the Abbey until he 'recovered'. However this wasn't true, even though he missed his uncle Brendan wasn't deeply saddened by his death. He got to see his uncle for a month, his uncle got to read the Book of Kells, and both details comforted him. Actually, he couldn't get the hang of being a leader because the Abbey had stopped being a home to him. He didn't feel as if he belonged there anymore. He wanted to leave, travel and share the Book with the world, but his love for and promise to his uncle kept stopping him.

Deciding to clear his head, Brendan left early one morning to take a walk in the woods. He also wanted to see Aisling again, especially since he was worried about her. Even though she was alive he sensed that something was wrong, after all when he first returned he mostly saw her in wolf form and only caught a glimpse of her fairy form. He wandered through the forest, until he came upon the area where he first met her. That's when a white wolf appeared.

"Hello Aisling." Brendan smiled.

"_Brendan, where have you been?"_ Aisling asked telepathically.

"Still in the Abbey, wanted to catch up with my uncle. He then died last week and left me in charge." Brendan explained. "I don't want to break my promise to him, but I don't know if I can be in charge. The Abbey doesn't feel like home to me anymore."

"_Maybe because your true home is somewhere else."_ Aisling suggested. _"Unlike us forest spirits humans can live wherever they want."_

"I don't know, but I do know that my true job is sharing the Book of Kells with the people." Brendan sat down with his back against the stone dome.

Aisling went closer and sat down next to him.

"_I hope you don't spend all your time doing that, I missed you while you were gone."_

"I missed you too." Brendan smiled. "So no, I wouldn't. At the moment all I really want to do is to take the Book and defeat the North men with it. I can't let any more families be torn apart like mine was."

A.N. It said in the movie that sinners are blinded by glancing at the book, though Aiden kinda hinted that it wasn't true. Even so since evil is at least one step up from sinner, if not more steps, I figured that evil would be killed off by more than a glance of the book. Meaning that Brendan plans to not only show the vikings the book but possibly read it to them as well.

"_So, it was the North men who killed your parents?"_

Brendan nodded sadly.

"_I guess the North men are your Crom Cruach then."_

"Yeah, all they care about is gold. Like all Crom probably cared about was food. When I left him in that chalk prison I noticed that he was eating himself."

"_Sounds like him."_

"Anyway, I'm really glad you're still alive. When I came back outside after my fight with Crom I was at first worried that you had died."

"_It was a close call. I fled at the last second, preventing Crom from killing me, but being near him for that long still had a bad affect on me."_

"I thought something was wrong. What is it?"

"_It's my powers. After I fled I ran to the wolves and turned into my wolf form to rest. After I did...I couldn't change back or transform into another animal. I became stuck as a wolf, which wasn't a bad thing since they already consider me to be their alpha wolf. But I do miss turning into other animals, and I'm afraid my powers are still pretty much gone."_

"I'm sorry, I did try to make you leave sooner. I never wanted you to get hurt."

"_It's not your fault, I chose to help."_

Suddenly, the wolf pack showed up. Unlike the previous two times Brendan saw them they looked docile.

"Hey guys, thanks for saving me and Aidan. And Pangur Ban too." Brendan smiled to them.

"_What happened to her?"_ Aisling asked.

"Still back in the village. She likes to sleep a lot nowadays."

"_Oh."_

One of the wolves suddenly barked.

"_He says that even though I'm their alpha wolf I can stay with you instead of going back to them."_

"Probably not a good idea, until I figure out where I truly belong I'll be staying in the village and I don't think the Brothers will welcome a wolf."

"_You have a point. I'll stay near the village so you can always find me then."_

"That works. And Aisling, if there's any way I can help to bring your powers back, I'll do it. I owe you for helping me get to Crom and for your wolves saving me and Brother Aiden."

"_I don't know if there is a way you can help, or if there's even a way to bring back my powers. Either way, the only one who would know would be Enna, the first queen of my people. When we die we become part of nature by becoming a type of plant. My plant is the Snowdrop, which is what most of my powers turned into outside Crom's lair. Enna's plant is the Pedunculate Oak, and I happen to know which one she is."_

"Really? How can you know?"

"_We can still communicate with our people after they go, since we can communicate with nature in general. Enna is one of the wisest of the forest spirits, so if anyone knows of a way to restore my powers she will."_

"Great, so you can ask and then tell me later."

"_It doesn't work like that. I want my powers back just because I want to be powerful again. Only someone who wants my powers back for a selfless reason, like repaying a favor, can ask her. Meaning you have to ask."_

"Uh, but I can't talk to nature."

"_True, but humans can communicate with forest spirits who are in plant form if their hearts are true. It's tricky though, for you to talk to Enna you'll have to let your soul leave your body and go into her tree. Meaning your body has to stay connected to her tree, if it is removed you could die."_

"Well, then we'll just have to make sure it doesn't get removed."

"_Very well. Come, I'll take you there."_

Brendan followed Aisling through the forest. Since he had spent the rest of his childhood and almost all his adulthood in and near the forests he did a lot better than he did during his first visit. After a while they came upon a Pedunculate Oak that was very tall and very wide. Obviously it had been around for centuries, maybe even thousands of years.

"_I'll leave you to your conversation. I have to let the animals know to not disturb you anyway. You'll probably be done before I come back so I'll see you some other time."_

"All right, if you're not back when I'm done then I'll see you later. Maybe even tomorrow, I think it's time I told the Brothers the truth about how I feel. Is it all right if I tell them about you?"

"_It is fine, if you trust them that much."_

"Oh Brother Tang I trust that much, he was always like a grandpa to me."

Aisling didn't respond, but the look in her eye indicated that she understood. She then left, almost disappeared even.

"Her skills will never cease to amaze me." Brendan smirked.

He then walked closer to the tree.

"Uh, hi." He began awkwardly; he was grateful that there weren't any other humans around to see him. "I'm a friend of Aisling's, one of your people. You probably already know that though, since she was just here... Anyway, I have a favor to ask, for Aisling's sake, so I'm gonna try to connect myself to your tree if that's okay."

There was no response, expectedly, but Brendan decided to take this as yes.

"All right."

He took a deep breath, walked even closer, and put his hands onto the trunk of the tree. Nothing happened, until he closed his eyes. Then he felt himself being pulled. He kept his eyes closed, wondering if it had worked.

"_You can open your eyes Brendan."_

Brendan did. It was really his soul opening it's eyes, but he didn't feel like a soul. In front of him was a forest spirit much like Aisling, only taller. She was an interesting combination of old and young, and wore a robe with fancy spirals on it.

"_You know my name?"_ He was surprised.

"_Aisling has told me about you. Now, what is your favor?"_

"_Aisling lost most of her powers helping me reach Crom. I feel really bad about it, even though she says it wasn't my fault, and since she's helped me so much and didn't deserve losing her powers I was wondering if you knew of a way to return them."_

"_I do, actually. The only thing that can restore a forest spirit's powers is the strongest force on Earth."_

Brendan wasn't sure what she was talking about. He wanted to guess the Book of Kells but had a feeling that that was wrong. Forest spirits have no use for books after all.

"_Wha-what is the strongest force?" _He asked.

"_Love."_

"_Love? Really? That can't be right, I already love Aisling and it doesn't seem to have made a difference."_

"_All grown up and yet still a child at heart."_ Enna smiled affectionately. _"I wasn't referring to friendship love Brendan. I meant the most selfless kind of love of all: True Love."_

Brendan blushed, now getting it.

"_It can't be, she's a forest spirit. I'm just a human."_

"_Not just a human Brendan. You did what none of us forest spirits had ever been able to do: defeat Crom Cruach. Only one who is pure of heart could have accomplished such a task. And if any kind of human can win the love of a forest spirit, it is the pure of heart."_

"_But, what if she doesn't love me that way? And what if I don't actually love her that way?"_

"_In Aisling's case, that's not for me to say. In your case you'll just have to listen to your heart. It hasn't failed you before."_

"_Well, I'll give it a try."_

"_That's all I ask. I must warn you though: if your love turns out not to be true then Aisling will die. I don't think you have anything to worry about, since a pure heart is never wrong about love, but it doesn't hurt to make sure first before you admit your feelings."_

"_I'll definitely make sure. I wouldn't want to hurt Aisling let alone kill her for anything."_

"_Good. I will let you go now."_

Brendan suddenly felt himself being pulled from behind. Instantly he fell down, no longer connected to the tree.

"Wow. That was actually kinda cool." Brendan got up. "Not a pleasant ending though." He rubbed his back.

He then headed back to the Abbey. The Brothers asked him where he was and he told them that he took a walk in the forest to clear his head. He then told them that he can't become the new Abbot. The village just wasn't home to him anymore, plus he had to share the Book with the world. It was his destiny, he knew it now. He asked Brother Tang to take over as leader and he agreed. He then followed Brendan into the tower, due to Brendan asking him to join him.

"Brother Tang, I have to tell you something." Brendan said.

"What is it?"

Brendan told him about Aisling, how they met and how she helped him defeat Crom by letting him gain entrance. He also mentioned her wolves saving him and Aiden from the vikings. He left out her losing her powers though, since he still wasn't sure about ending up with her. Brother Tang found it cool that Brendan was friends with a forest spirit, and admitted that it explained how Brendan escaped after Cellach locked him up that one night.


	2. Pure Love

That night Brendan slept, but not peacefully since he still wasn't sure about loving Aisling romantically. He then had a crazy dream. It started off with him and Aisling becoming a couple, and kept switching from happy to tragedy. At first they were happy, then Brendan's love turned out to be untrue and she died, then his tears of sorrow brought her back, then danger kept attacking them. In a nutshell, he was still very tired when he woke up the next morning. Deciding to just go see Aisling and see how he felt, he left the Abbey without a word.

Like she promised, she was there in front of him once he enter the forest.

"_Did you find a way to restore my powers?"_

"Uh, I did, but...well I don't know how to put it. It's kinda complicated."

"_It's okay, you can work it out before you tell me."_

"All right then, how about we just take a walk?"

"_Sounds good."_

They walked for quite a few hours, until finally Brendan need to rest. He sat down on a thick tree root, one that was almost as thick as a log. Aisling sat down on the ground next to him.

"_Have you worked it out yet?"_

"Not really-"

Brendan had suddenly looked into her eyes, and became spellbound. He had never noticed how beautiful her eyes really were. He didn't even know how to describe them, at first they were like trees and grass and then they were like the emerald green ink he and Aiden used to create the Book and then they were like emeralds. And then they went back to the ink and back to the trees and grass.

"_Are you okay?"_ Aisling put a paw to his leg.

"Huh?" Brendan snapped out of it, and then blushed. "Oh, yeah, just forgot how green your eyes really were that's all."

Aisling's eyes suddenly sparkled, startling Brendan a little. It was like she was looking at him with affection and...no, it couldn't be.

"_You really are a special human Brendan. Not that many humans are pure of heart."_

"I know about that, Enna told me." Brendan chuckled. "Was kinda surprised to hear it, but not too much. After all it makes sense that only the pure of heart can defeat evil like Crom and I defeated Crom so..."

"_Exactly. But it isn't because of that that I...I really like you. It's because you put others before yourself, you're brave, selfless, kind, willing to help others. I know I'm stuck as a wolf and you're a human but...I love you."_

Brendan looked at her with surprise.

"Really? I know Enna already said that I'm not just a human but, compared to you, I'm not that special."

"_Another thing I love about you, you're humble. And you're wrong, you are very special."_

Brendan then remembered that Enna said that only the pure of heart could win the love of a forest spirit.

"Well, the truth is I've never fallen in love before so I don't know what it feels like. I'll just have to trust my heart on this."

Aisling just nuzzled him affectionately, obviously understanding. Brendan's heart suddenly skipped a beat and he felt slightly warmer. He then looked into Aisling's eyes again, and he saw the same visions as before. This time, he let himself get lost in her eyes...until he noticed that his heart was beating faster.

"What?" He put a hand over his heart, confused.

Aisling put a paw over his heart, but instead of confusion her eyes showed joy and love. She buried her head into his chest, enjoying his heartbeats. Brendan found himself hugging her in return. They stayed like that for a few minutes, eyes closed, though it felt timeless to them. Then, unknown to Brendan, Aisling began to glow. She continued glowing for a while, and then the glow faded. She was no longer a wolf.

"Brendan."

Startled by the sudden sound, since things had been quiet for a while, Brendan opened his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Aisling...your fairy form, it's back."

"I know. My powers are back." Aisling giggled.

"But that means..." Brendan now knew that he truly loved her. "That means I can no longer stay at the Abbey. I'm going back to get the Book and Pangur Ban, and to say goodbye to Brother Tang, and then I'm coming back for good."

"I'll wait at the edge of the forest for you."

Brendan ran off joyfully, not believing his good fortune. Not only did he find someone to spend the rest of his life with, she turned out to be a forest spirit. He didn't care about their species difference anymore, he loved her and she loved him and that's all that mattered.

He calmed down by the time he reached the Abbey, and went inside trying not to show how excited and happy he was. He then went to Tang and told him what had happened. Tang was shocked, obviously, but approved of Brendan's new relationship and understood why he decided to leave for good. Brendan then went to his sleeping quarters, which used to be his uncle's, and grabbed the Book and woke up Pangur Ban. Pangur Ban was annoyed at being woken up, but got over it really quickly when Brendan told her what was going on. She then hopped onto his shoulder, and he left the tower. Before he left the Abbey entirely Brendan decided to make one other goodbye.

He walked over to the grave that was near the tower. His uncle's grave.

"Hi uncle." He said softly. "It's me again. I'm sorry, I know I promised that I would take care of the Abbey in your place but I cannot stay. I don't belong here anymore. I belong with Aisling, my fairy friend from the forest. We just fell in love recently, and I know it's true love. She lost her powers before, helping me get to Crom so that I could take his eye and use it to complete the Book, but my love brought her powers back. That's how I know it's true. I've left the village in Brother Tang's care, and there are plenty of good and wise people to help him. I still miss you, but I have to be with her. Perhaps some day we can see each other again. Goodbye uncle, I hope you're not disappointed in me."

He and Pangur Ban then left the Abbey and met up with Aisling. Aisling led them to the wolf pack's den, where Brendan was going to live now. Brendan got to work gathering soft plant material to make into a bed, and then lay down on it. Aisling joined him, snuggling up next to him.

"Aisling," He smiled. "I think it's time you meet the Book of Kells."

He took the book out, and showed everything to her, cover to cover. She couldn't read, obviously, so Brendan read it to her. Luckily, the Book was for everyone so it did not specifically relate to Christianity, which was a relief to Aisling since Christianity did not take the beliefs of her people very well. She had to admit, the words had a pleasant affect on her soul, and she loved the drawings. She always admired Brendan's ability to draw, but the drawings in the Book were even more astounding. After all they moved, or at least to her.

"It's easy to see why you considered this Book so important as a kid." Aisling smiled after Brendan was done reading. "And I think it will defeat the North men. I'm wondering though...do the drawings move for you?"

"Actually, the drawings just move in general." Brendan smiled back. "I used the Eye of Crom to create the drawings, so they're magical. It's really the drawings that blind sinners, the words are mostly to comfort the good though they do have a painful affect on evil."

"Ah."

"You know, it's kinda strange that an evil sprit's eye could create such drawings." Brendan mused.

"At least Crom finally did some good, even if it was unintentional." Aisling chuckled.

"True."

They fell asleep not long after. Normally Aisling slept outside in her fairy form or in the den as a wolf but this time she stayed in her fairy form and slept next to Brendan. Snuggled next to him really.

That was when Brendan had a dream.

"_Hello Brendan." A familiar looking old man smiled._

"_Uncle!" Brendan gasped._

_Brendan ran over and hugged him. Cellach hugged him back._

"_I've missed you so much uncle."_

"_I've missed you too Brendan, but that isn't the main reason why I'm here."_

"_Right, Aisling." Brendan looked a little nervous._

"_It's okay Brendan." Cellach smiled. "Truthfully, it was kinda wrong of me to make you promise to do something that obviously isn't your destiny. It was just that, well, even as a kid you were wiser about things than I was. So I figured that you would make a better Abbot than I ever did. I'm sorry if I unintentionally burdened you."_

"_It's okay uncle, I understand." Brendan smiled._

"_Still, your destiny is with the Book of Kells. And Aisling too, if your love for her is strong enough to restore her powers then you two must belong together. I will not stand in the way of what is right this time. Your heart is what led you to helping Brother Aiden with the Book, and it led you to Aisling. Since I trust your heart, I also trust your decision to stay with her."_

"_Thank you uncle. I wish she could meet you. Brother Aiden too."_

"_I know, and maybe someday, thousands of years from now, she will. But in the meantime, you should let go and concentrate on your future. There is no need to visit my grave anymore, I will always be with you in here."_

_At that, Cellach put his hand over Brendan's heart. In that instant, Brendan stopped missing his uncle. Realizing that Aiden was also in his heart, Brendan stopped missing him as well._


	3. Soul-Mates and Life-Saving

Brendan and Pangur Ban quickly got used to living with Aisling. A couple of months passed. Around this time, Brendan thought about taking the next step in his relationship with Aisling. The only problem was: he didn't know how to ask. Deciding to take a chance, he went over to Aisling to ask her.

"Hello Brendan." Aisling smiled. "Have a good walk?"

"Yes, it gave me time to think about something."

"About what?"

"Well, it's uh...Aisling how do forest spirits ask each other to become mates?"

Brendan learned a while back that since forest spirits were close to nature like animals they don't use terms like husband or wife.

Aisling smiled joyfully, getting what Brendan was trying to do.

"Are, are you asking me to become your mate?" She made sure.

"Well, I'm trying to-"

Aisling hugged him.

"Good enough." She smiled.

"I take it your answer is yes then?" Brendan chuckled.

"Of course it is."

Now, forest spirit wedding ceremonies were different from human ones. No minister, no vows, no rings, not even a reception. Instead, Aisling and Brendan stood in front of a berry bush. It turns out that the bush was Aisling's mother. Aisling had already talked to Brendan about the ceremony, so he knew what to do. There wasn't a lot to do anyway.

All Brendan and Aisling had to do was to place their hands over each other's hearts and stay like that for a while. Until their hearts became one that is, and it didn't take that long either. Then, they kissed. Unknown to them at the time, the kiss did something very special to Brendan.

They found out after the kiss ended. Then Aisling looked at Brendan with surprise.

"Brendan, you're glowing!" She gasped.

"Well I am that happy-"

"No, I mean literally."

"Huh?"

Brendan looked at his hands and realized that Aisling was right!

"I wonder what this means?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not sure but I think this may have something to do with you being a human. Since humans have shorter lifespans than forest spirits then maybe our kiss increased your lifespan."

"If it's true, then I'm glad." Brendan gazed at her. "I'd hate to die and leave you here."

"I would hate that too." Aisling gazed back; then she became a little serious. "I wonder if this also means that you have forest spirit powers."

"If any I'd just like to be able to turn into animals. That way I could always be with you no matter what."

"Give it a try, maybe you can."

Brendan concentrated, thinking about turning into a wolf first since that was Aisling's other main form. He succeeded, which he knew due to the fact that there was a long orange colored thing in front of him. A muzzle. Wait...

"_Wow, I'm orange colored?_" He was surprised, he expected to be black or white.

"Due to your hair color I believe." Aisling smiled before turning into a wolf.

Brendan smiled back, though it was kinda hard to see, and he and Aisling romped off into the forest. Brendan loved the feel of the wind in his fur, and the ability to keep up with wolf Aisling for once. Also, he later found out that the wolf pack accepted him as their other alpha wolf.

Brendan and Aisling spent most of their days as animals, enjoying running through the forest or flying through the air. Luckily Brendan didn't really need to learn how to fly, it happened naturally. It was a few months later when Brendan remembered about showing the Book to the vikings.

"I almost forgot." Brendan, in human form, picked up the book.

"You'd better do what you planned." Aisling said.

"But what about you, the forest?" Brendan now wasn't so sure.

"The forest will be okay without me for a while, but I won't be okay without you for that long." Aisling said as if it settled the matter.

With that, Brendan decided to finally begin his journey. The advantage to having waited so long was that now he didn't need to walk from town to town. Now he could fly, with Aisling flying alongside him. To protect her Brendan decided that he should turn back into a human out of sight of the other people, while Aisling should stay a bird and sit on his shoulder.

They spent a couple of years going from town to town to share the Book. So that he wouldn't have to spend thousands of years sharing the Book, Brendan helped the town make copies. This way future generations could enjoy it without Aisling needing to leave her forest a lot. Or wanting to leave her forest, depending on how you looked at it. In her perspective she needed to be with Brendan no matter what, which wasn't surprising.

Brendan started to become a legend, a legend about a glowing man with a mysterious white bird, who had the power to reform sinners and comfort the rest just by showing them a special book. Yeah, the 'blinding sinners' thing turned out not to be literal. Instead it just blinded the little evil they had in them, allowing their good sides to surface.

Finally, Brendan and Aisling located where the vikings were going to strike next. They beat the vikings to that town, this time with Brendan turning back into a human in front of not only the town but the vikings as well. He and Aisling thought of that earlier, they figured that doing so would intimidate the vikings a little.

It worked, the vikings were so caught off guard that they weren't sure what to do next. Brendan, with a determined look, took the Book out. Beforehand the Book didn't work because it hadn't been completed. This time, it worked. The glow from the book made the vikings cower. Then Brendan started to read the book, and the vikings reacted by putting their hands over their ears.

"_This is for you mom and dad. You too uncle._" Brendan thought as he continued reading.

The words he spoke slowly became more powerful, until they seemed to combine with the glow. The glow was certainly getting brighter anyway, and it had an unpleasant affect on the vikings. Seeing this, Brendan turned the book so that the pictures faced the vikings. Finally there was a huge flash, one that even caused Brendan and Aisling to shield their eyes. When the flash was over the vikings were gone! All that was left was their armor and weapons. The town behind Brendan and Aisling cheered. They wanted to reward Brendan for defeating the vikings, but Brendan wouldn't allow it. Instead he just acknowledged their thanks and left. He didn't need anything anyway, he had everything now. A home, a wife, and the comfort of knowing that the vikings were gone, never to harm another family again.

However, as he past the armor and weaponry he caught whiff of a familiar scent. Due to gaining forest spirit powers his senses became better than a human's, though not as powerful as Aisling's. Confused, he followed the scent until he saw a flash of gold. It was his uncle's golden collar, the one the vikings stole after stabbing him. Filled with emotion, Brendan picked it up and put it on. Even though he didn't miss his uncle anymore, it still felt good to wear a part of him. After all Brendan still had the Eye of Crom, Pangur Ban, and the Book to represent Aiden's part in his life, so it only felt right that Brendan should have at least one thing to represent his uncle's part as well.

Now Brendan and Aisling could go back to their forest - it became Brendan's as well when he married Aisling - and enjoy a peaceful life together.

Brendan almost lost track of how much time had passed. If it hadn't been for the seasons he would've forgotten altogether. But every spring, he carved a small line on the wall of the den, to remind him how many years had passed. For forest spirits like Aisling keeping track of the years wasn't necessary, but Brendan had been a human previously and for humans it was necessary. He also drew Cellach, Aiden, and his old Brother friends on the den wall so that he wouldn't forget what they looked like. He didn't expect to forget their appearances, but he wanted to be on the safe side.


	4. The Hybrid

Forty years had passed. Due to Brendan's new long-lifespan he did not age noticeably. No wrinkles, and his hair and beard remained orange. Around this time Aisling found out something wonderful.

After she found it out she went in search of Brendan, who had gone off to draw some flowers. Back when they had traveled from town to town he picked up abundant supplies of drawing materials. Ink and paper and such. With any luck they should last for another sixty years or so, especially since there wasn't much that he needed to draw.

"Brendan!" Aisling called as soon as she saw him.

Brendan turned around and waved to her. He was still drawing so he didn't go to her. She went to him instead.

"This is amazing!" She smiled upon noticing the drawing. "You really have a way of capturing a plant's beauty."

"Well, I always loved writing and drawing." Brendan chuckled humbly.

"Speaking of good things, I have good news for us." Aisling smiled.

"Really? What is it?"

"We're going to be parents."

Brendan dropped his quill with shock. Fortunately it didn't ruin his drawing.

"What?" He turned to her, eyes wide. "Wait, you mean you're...?"

Aisling nodded, grinning ecstatically.

"I, you, whoa." Brendan didn't know how to react. "I mean this is wonderful, don't get me wrong, it's just that I never thought about being a father before."

"I know how you feel. I just found out earlier today myself and I still haven't recovered." Aisling agreed before grinning: "Unlike humans forest spirits don't need help with finding out whether they're expecting or not."

"I'm glad of that, it would be awkward trying to explain things to another human." Brendan smirked.

Aisling giggled, agreeing with him even though she knew he was kinda joking.

Brendan then suddenly hugged her.

"I can't wait until our child arrives." He said with quiet joy.

"Me neither." Aisling hugged him back.

After the long pregnancy - which I usually don't describe because I don't like a lot of things about it (especially the labor. Ouch!) - their child finally arrived. It was a boy, and he had inherited traits from both parents. He had skin and hair like his dad, but they were paler due to his mom. He also had his mom's eyes.

"He's beautiful." Brendan held his son. "I was hoping he'd inherit your eyes."

"I'm glad he kinda inherited your hair." Aisling added. "I've always liked your hair color. It reminds me of sunrise."

"Sunrise over the forest, that's our boy." Brendan chuckled.

Aisling giggled, really liking that joke.

They named their son Conall, meaning strong wolf. They had a feeling that he would make a good alpha wolf like them.

Years passed. Conall grew up happily, with loving parents and a cool family in the form of a wolf pack. At the moment he was too young to be able to turn into animals, he would have to wait for his powers to strengthen first, so he instead explored the forest on the back of one of the wolves. Brendan and Aisling let him do it on his own too, after all if the wolf pack could save the lives of two people, one an adult, then they can surely protect a forest spirit child. Still, sometimes they joined him simply because they wanted to. Brendan wanted to experience his son's joy of seeing something new, and Aisling enjoyed explaining plants and animals to him.

When Conall was seven a question formed in his mind. It wasn't long until he decided to ask his dad his question.

"Daddy, I was wondering why we have more color than mom." He said.

"I was wondering when that was going to be brought up." Brendan chuckled. "Well son, it's simply because you and I are not true forest spirits. At least not by blood."

"We're not?" Conall was surprised.

"No, I was once a human." Brendan admitted. "I met your mom when I was a young lad, a few years older than you actually. It's a long story."

"Well, it's one I'd like to hear." Conall smiled, sitting down.

Brendan smiled and sat down too and told him the story. He toned down the fight with Crom and the viking attacks, not wanting to give his son nightmares, but otherwise kept everything in full detail. He continued on past leaving Kells, summarizing his life with just Aiden and Pangur Ban, and finished with returning to Kells.

"So then how did you and mom fall in love?" Conall asked. "And how did mom get her powers back."

"The two go hand in hand: it was my love for your mother that brought her powers back." Brendan smiled, remembering the hug that brought Aisling's powers back.

He then told Conall the full story, including defeating the vikings.

"This is your great-uncle's collar." Brendan put a hand on the collar, which he still was wearing. "Even though I don't miss him anymore it still feels good having something of his on me."

"Wow." Conall got up and put a hand on the collar.

He felt a slight warm feeling in his chest, like someone was hugging him gently.

"He is still with us Conall, just because one is dead doesn't mean that they're gone." Brendan smiled as if he knew what Conall was feeling. "They always stay with us in our hearts, as long as we let them stay."

"Do you think I'll ever meet him?"

"Oh, probably not for thousands of years due to our lifespan." Brendan said a little regretfully. "It's too bad really, even though he was strict a lot your great-uncle was still a really good man and really cared about me. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought of me as his own son. And since I was so young, younger than you, when my parents died he was like a father to me. Aiden, well, he wasn't even related but he was still like a grandfather to me. And the other Brothers were like family as well."

"Could I at least meet the other Brothers?" Conall asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not." Brendan now looked really sad. "Most of them died when the North men attacked. Uncle himself was really lucky to have survived. The last one, Brother Tang, died of old age many years ago, long before you were born. I was able to visit him one last time, before he died, by flying into the Abbey. Even though it wasn't my home anymore it had been during my childhood and I still care about the people. I wanted to make sure that they were doing all right without me, even though I was already confident that they were. And they were doing great."

"Do the new people there know about you?"

"They do, Tang made sure of it. He told everyone there my story, and my last visit to him confirmed it."

"You haven't visited the Abbey since have you?" Conall realized.

"No, no reason to." Brendan sighed. "So much has probably changed by now, it has been decades since my last visit."

"Can I see the Abbey sometime?" Conall asked hopefully.

"Well, if it's okay with your mother. She's usually wary of humans."

"That makes you really special then." Conall grinned.

"That's what she says. I still don't believe her though." Brendan chuckled.

Conall chuckled back.

It turns out Aisling was okay with Conall visiting the Abbey. It was his father's childhood home after all, so she understood his curiosity about the place. Brendan had to go with him though, since the wolves wouldn't be allowed there and she wasn't comfortable in places of Christianity. Brendan was okay with this, he was a little curious about how much the place had changed.

He and Conall went through the woods towards the Abbey, Conall riding on his father's wolf form. When they got close enough to see the Abbey Brendan stopped and turned back into a human so that Conall was now piggy-back riding him.

"If the Abbey had changed that much, will it have a bad affect on you dad?" Conall asked, sounding a little concerned.

"Not at all, actually it would feel good to know that the people had been able to recover from the North men's attack." Brendan smiled sincerely. "It is always best to move on after something bad or saddening. You shouldn't forget it, but you shouldn't let it control your life either."

They approached the entrance to the Abbey. The gate had been replaced, except it was a lot smaller. With the North men gone there was no need for extreme defenses. This also meant that the wall, though replaced as well, was shorter (short as in opposite of tall, not long). As they got closer they noticed that the gate had a peephole, which someone had probably been looking through earlier since the gate had started opening.

Standing there was a slightly old man, probably a little older than Cellach had been when Brendan was twelve. He looked at Brendan with surprise and disbelief.

"You...you can't be the famous Brendan of Kells can you?" He said.

"My name is Brendan, though I'm not of Kells anymore." Brendan chuckled. "I belong to the forest now."

"Obviously. I was a small lad during your last visit," The man said. "And yet I still remember it. You were glowing then too. I wanted to ask why but mom stopped me, thinking it was too disrespectful."

"Not at all," Brendan smiled. "I don't mind telling you and the rest of Kells why I'm glowing."

The man allowed Brendan and Conall inside, and they found out that he was the new Abbot. Brendan introduced Conall to the Abbey, and explained why he was glowing. Everyone in the Abbey was amazed, when Tang told them the reason during Brendan's last visit they thought he was exaggerating that part.

Brendan and Conall stayed for a few hours, getting to know the new look of the place. The tower was still there, but the old drawings of the wall and Abbey were gone. Since they had been made with chalk this wasn't surprising, but still Brendan kinda missed them. He got his drawing skills from his uncle after all. No not genetically, through his uncle teaching him how to draw. But then Brendan found out that the people had copied the drawing of the Abbey onto a large sheet of paper, as a representation of how the place used to look before the attack. For there had been many changes, for one thing there were no more huts. The small buildings were now more like small cabins or shacks. The scriptorium had been rebuilt as well, and was now larger.

Brendan's old bedroom was still there too, and now belonged to the children of the new Abbot. The two kids, twin boys, were amazed to find that their bedroom once belonged to the famous Brendan. Conall also was amazed to see his dad's old bedroom.

"I can't believe you used to be that small dad." He said.

Brendan chuckled at that.

Conall also was impressed by his great-uncle's drawing skills, since even though the old map of the Abbey hadn't been drawn by Cellach it had been an exact copy of his chalk drawing. He now knew where his dad got his drawing skills, and wanted his dad to teach him how to draw. Brendan was more than happy to do this, and even decided to go to a town to get Conall his own drawing supplies.

The people were sorry to see Brendan and Conall go when it was time for them to leave, but Brendan decided that they were allowed to visit the forest as long as they didn't harm the plants or animals intentionally.

The people of Kells, now and then, did. Aisling didn't mind, since they never harmed anything in the forest, but she still remained hidden whenever someone came. Brendan and Conall, on the other hand, greeted the people and taught them about certain plants they didn't know. Conall became friends with the kids, and didn't mind giving them animal rides later when his powers became strong enough.

As the years passed Conall grew in both size and strength, and lived up to his name. He later took over as alpha wolf, since Brendan and Aisling wanted more time for each other as well as the rest of the forest, and started to visit the Abbey on his own since he enjoyed learning human culture. Brendan had no interest in visiting the Abbey anymore, knowing that they were going great on their own was enough for him. Besides, the people still continued to visit the forest so he had nice chats with them that way.

Eventually forest spirits from forests that had been cut down moved in, so Conall soon started to gain forest spirit friends as well as human ones. The forest spirits were a little surprised by Brendan and Conall, but accepted them very quickly. They also accepted the Book of Kells, even though they had no interest in reading it. Despite that they still allowed Brendan to read the Book to their children along with his own son.

Brendan and Aisling remained very happy and in love even thousands of years later. By that time Brendan's orange hair and beard finally became white, though his animal color always remained orange. He was the first forest spirit ever who could turn into an orange animal instead of a white one. And because of that he became famous amongst the forest spirits as well as the humans. The forest spirits gave him names like The Orange One or The Pure Heart. They gave Conall names like The Unique or Halfling (meaning it affectionately). The humans gave Brendan names too, names like Brendan the Savior (those who saw him defeat the vikings gave him that one) or Brendan the Angel (most of the other humans named him that). The people who lived at the Abbey of Kells simply named him Brendan the Forest Human, since they knew of his humble beginnings best. Most humans didn't know of Conall though, so only those in the Abbey of Kells nicknamed him. They called him Conall the Forest Hybrid.


End file.
